


grief is a marathon, not a sprint.

by eatcops



Series: campfires for a select few [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Canon Compliant, Grief/Mourning, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 07:04:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16300349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eatcops/pseuds/eatcops
Summary: “Prompto.” Ignis’s voice came quiet and strained. “It’s time.”Prompto nodded slowly and wiped at his eyes with a shuddering breath. “Yeah.”“He loved you, you know.”“I know.”“He came to me about it. Asked what he should do.” Ignis wrapped an arm around Prompto’s shoulder, one that he took gladly, burying his face in the blind man’s chest.“Why did it have to be him?” he choked out, balling his fists in Ignis’s blood-soaked garments. “It could have been anyone else. Anyone.” He knew that wasn’t true. He knew that it was what fate had in store from him from the time he was born, just as she had given Prompto the fate to be a normal person. That didn’t make it any easier. He whimpered pathetically when Gladiolus stepped behind him to wrap his arms around the both of them. “Why?” He couldn’t stop the soft sobs that escaped from his throat as Ignis’s tears hit his cheek and slid down his chin, onto the ground.“Come on, kid,” Gladiolus whispered. His voice was strained. “We got a story to tell.”





	grief is a marathon, not a sprint.

**Author's Note:**

> this is just sad theres nothing else really. it's sweet at the end but i still cried while writing it. i didnt tag all of the characters bc this is promptis central but there is implied gladnis and theyre mentioned multiple times

“Prompto.” Ignis’s voice came quiet and strained. “It’s time.”

Prompto nodded slowly and wiped at his eyes with a shuddering breath. “Yeah.”

“He loved you, you know.”

“I know.”

“He came to me about it. Asked what he should do.” Ignis wrapped an arm around Prompto’s shoulder, one that he took gladly, burying his face in the blind man’s chest.

“Why did it have to be him?” he choked out, balling his fists in Ignis’s blood-soaked garments. “It could have been anyone else. _Anyone.”_ He knew that wasn’t true. He knew that it was what fate had in store from him from the time he was born, just as she had given Prompto the fate to be a normal person. That didn’t make it any easier. He whimpered pathetically when Gladiolus stepped behind him to wrap his arms around the both of them. _“Why?”_ He couldn’t stop the soft sobs that escaped from his throat as Ignis’s tears hit his cheek and slid down his chin, onto the ground.

“Come on, kid,” Gladiolus whispered. His voice was strained. “We got a story to tell.”

* * *

 

“Prompto! Prompto, hey! What happened?” The short woman punched his arm and he sighed shakily, sitting himself down on the bunk Noctis had slept in not but two days ago. “Where are the others?”

He held up a shaking hand to gesture vaguely at the rest of the base. “Somewhere. Probably getting food.”

“Why aren’t you with them? You look a right mess, you should be eatin’!” Prompto shook his head and pulled his shoes off, carefully setting them on the floor. “What… happened to you?”

“Nothing.” Prompto slid his jacket off and ran his hand over the insignia on the back with a small, sad smile. He looked up at her with tears welled in his eyes. “I’m just tired, is all.”

She returned his smile and patted his cheek. “Got it. Rest up, y’all got a long week ahead of you.” She left the room and closed the door.

Prompto turned to where Noctis’s jeans were on the bedside, strewn about and taking up the entirety of the box. He laughed softly and shook his head. “Can’t even fold your own clothes.” He bit his quivering lip as he took them in his hands, rubbing the familiarly rough fabric between his thumb and index finger. He took a shaky breath when he caught sight of the scar on his hand from when they were kids, making pacts to promise to stick together forever. “Why did we do that?” he laughed again and balled the jeans up to hold them to his chest. “Your dad was so pissed. We got blood all over th—the ballroom floor.”

_“Noct! Hey, Noct!” Prompto ran up to Noctis, his messenger bag slapping against his leg with every step. “Hey! Why weren’t you at school today?”_

_Noctis shrugged and he hopped off of the ledge of the fountain to accept Prompto’s hug, squeezing him back. “Didn’t feel like it.”_

_Prompto’s eyes went wide. “Whoa. You can just… not go? Is that another prince thing?” He pulled back to grab Noctis’s shoulders. “You gotta make me a prince. You gotta!”_

_“How am I supposed to do that?”_

_Prompto waved his hand as he stepped back. “You think too much. I don’t know, actually. With magic.”_

_“OH! Speaking of magic, come with me! I wanna show you something!” Noctis grabbed Prompto’s wrist and pulled him further into the garden, stopping just at the edge. “Put your bag down.” Prompto nodded and let his bag, heavy with books, thud onto the dew-kissed grass. “You trust me, right?”_

_“Yeah! With my life. Why?”_

_Noctis grabbed Prompto’s hand and pulled him in a little closer. “Just trust me. Relax.” Prompto’s shoulders relaxed and Noctis grinned as he thrusted his hand out. It was like Prompto was flying, only at, like, a million miles an hour, and a very, very short distance. He watched the blue mist dissipate before he realised that they were in the ballroom, looking out at the garden._

_“WHOA! HOW’D YOU DO THAT?”_

_“Don’t yell! I’ll get in trouble if they find out! It’s part of my magic! I learned how to use it on other people, too, just to show you!”_

_Noctis let out a soft noise of surprise when Prompto tackled him with another hug and knocked them both onto the ground. “You’re so cool! Thanks for being my best friend! I’m gonna stick with you forever. Sorry, you’re stuck with me!”_

_“I’m not_ stuck, _I want you to be with me! Idiot. You’re even cooler. You can do art stuff.”_

_“Uh, yeah, but that isn’t MAGIC!”_

_Noctis waved his hand and sat up, holding his hand out. A single, small ice shard formed in his hand. He squinted at it for a few seconds and it started to carve itself into a rose. He took Prompto’s hands and put it in them. “It’s like you made it! I’ll take a picture for you. Is your camera in your bag?”_

_It took a minute, but Noctis took a fairly clear photo of Prompto holding up the ice with a big, toothy grin. “You’re so cool, Noct. I wish I could be with you all the time.” Prompto ran his fingers over the ice. “Hey. Promise that when we’re grown-ups, I can tag along everywhere with you?”_

_“Promise.” Noctis hummed and looked around, then pulled a small knife out of his pocket. “Wanna make a pact like in movies?”_

_“Where’s you get that?” Prompto gasped. He leaned forward to poke it, but Noctis held it back from him._

_“My dad gave it to me. It works like magic. Watch. Put your hand on one side.” Prompto followed the instructions. The blade wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm, either. It almost just felt like pressure. When Noctis put his free hand in the other side, white-hot pain shot through Prompto’s hand. Both of them cried out and Noctis dropped the knife to the floor with a clatter._

_Blood splattered onto the floor, as well as some tears from Prompto. “That hurt!”_

_“I did it wrong! I’m sorry! Here, let me—gimme your hand.”_

_“No way!”_

_“I’m gonna heal you, dummy. Like when you fell off your bike that one time.” At that, Prompto hesitantly held out his hand. He hissed when his cut touched Noctis’s, but the pain was soon overtaken with warmth flooding through his whole body. His skin buzzed and his hair stood on end as Noctis’s magic flowed through his veins. “Better?”_

_Prompto nodded and he let his hand linger for a moment before pulling it back to inspect it. “Wow! Look!” He held up his hand to show Noctis the scar that had formed, and Noctis held up his own hand to show the matching one. “We sh—”_

_“NOCTIS!”_

_“Oh, shit—run!”_

Prompto sniffed and he bit the inside of his cheek. “We weren’t allowed to hang out for weeks.” His grip on the jeans tightened. “Not seeing you sucked so fucking bad.” A tear landed on the fabric, darkening one tiny spot for a moment before returning to its original colour. “We promised that we’d take down the walls.” He smiled through his quivering lips and closed his eyes. “You made another promise to me, too. You promised to never leave. You better keep that up. Even if—” a soft sob echoes through the room, “—even if it isn’t physically.”

He squeezed the jeans, frowning a little when he felt something tough under his fingers. He pulled them away to root through the pockets. In his left was a mint and his wallet. In the right pocket was Noctis’s phone and a small, folded-up photo. He decided to look over Noctis’s phone first. It still had the crack just down the middle of the screen from when he had dropped it on the road on the way to Hammerhead those first few days. Noctis was pissed when he saw it.

His lockscreen was a photo that Prompto had scanned in for him; a photo of all of them with one of the biggest fish Noctis had ever caught, all of them grinning wide and the sunset behind them bathing the sand in orange light. He laughed softly and set his phone to the side. The folded picture made his heart catch in his throat.

It was from when they graduated, arms wrapped around each other and dumb caps on dumb, newly-adult heads. Another shaky sigh passed his lips and he set the photo aside to put his face in his hands, sobs wracking through his body.

_“Prompto?”_

_“Yeah, Noct?”_

_“… I missed you.”_

_“I was gone for a week!” Prompto turned around to frown at Noctis. “You probably had enough to worry about, anyway. Princely duties.”_

_Noctis shook his head and he scooted a little closer to Prompto. “No. I was super bored the whole time. It tried to learn some new magic stuff, but I couldn’t concentrate.”_

_“Sorry, dude. Mom said I had to go.” Prompto rolled over a few times so he could curl up against Noctis. The prince’s bed was much too large for his liking. “You’re warm.”_

_“You always think I’m warm.” Noctis wrapped his arms around Prompto and closed his eyes. “I’m glad you’re back. There’s nothing to do when you’re gone.” Prompto hummed and relaxed against Noctis’s chest. They stayed like that for a while, not quite asleep but not entirely awake, until Prompto broke the silence._

_“I think I’m gay.”_

_More silence._

_“I know.”_

_“What? How?”_

_“You’re my best friend. I always know things.”_

_“Do you know who I like?”_

_“That guy with the green hair and the weird shirts that sits behind me. You’re always staring at him.” Prompto resisted the urge to scream._

_“You got it.”_

_“Really?”_

_“No.”_

_Noctis didn’t bother to press any further, and for that, Prompto was glad. Instead, they fell asleep together, princely duties and family trips forgotten._

“Prompto?” Prompto looked up and wiped his eyes. Gladiolus rubbed his own shoulder nervously. “They’re askin’ for you. I can hold ‘em off for a little, if you wanna get some shuteye, but not for long.” His eyes were bloodshot.

Prompto sighed and looked away as he nodded. “Got it. Thanks. Sorry.”

Gladiolus shook his head. “Don’t be. You did great, kid.”

“You did, too.” Prompto forced himself to look back up, meeting the taller man’s gaze with watery eyes. “Don’t forget that.”

“You can sleep with us tonight. Me and Iggy, if you want.” Prompto shook his head and ran his fingers over the jeans again. “Understood. Get some rest. Do what you gotta do. We’ll hold ‘em off.”

The minute Prompto’s head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

_“Prompto.” Noctis’s voice was distant. Prompto shot up, hand clutching his chest as he looked around the room. The grounds? He was back in the garden from Noctis’s house. His old school bag was sitting on the fountain ledge. When he followed the edge with his eyes, he gasped softly and scrambled out of the bed._

_“Noct.” Prompto’s hands started to tremble and he walked forward to grab Noctis’s. “You’re alive,” he whispered when his hand didn’t phase through. He looked up through wet eyes._

_Noctis smiled sadly and shook his head. “Nah. I heard you earlier, though.” Prompto looked over his best friend. He looked the same as he had, but… cleaner. And without a beard. “Needed to tell you that I did.”_

_“Does this mean you’ll stay?”_

_“When I can. Dead man’s got nothin’ to do. Might as well look over his right-hand idiot.” They both laughed and Prompto’s tears fell onto the flowers below them._

_“So this is some magic thing?”_

_“You could call it that.” Noctis stepped down slowly and pulled Prompto into a tight hug. Prompto buried his face in the prince—no, the_ king’s _neck, and sighed shakily._

_“What am I supposed to do?”_

_“Look after my kingdom.” Noctis pet down Prompto’s hair and smiled a bit. “Make sure everyone stays out of trouble. Including yourself. Walk with me.” Noctis kept his arm around Prompto’s shoulders as they walked through the garden. “You can’t lose faith in me now. I was gone for ten years and I came back, didn’t I?”_

_“That was different.”_

_“Oh? Maybe, but now, you can still see me. I’ll visit you every night. Send Umbra your way when you need it. If I can swing it, I’ll come down myself.” Noctis stopped at the edge of the garden._

_Before he could say anything, Prompto cut him off with, “Please don’t replace me with super cool ghost friends.”_

_Noctis laughed and he turned to Prompto. “I won’t. As long as you don’t replace me with super cool… alive friends.”_

_“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Prompto sighed softly and he rested his head on Noctis’s shoulder. “How’s Luna?”_

_“Quiet. She reads a lot.”_

_“Ghosts have books?”_

_“You think she wouldn’t find a way around it if we didn’t?” Prompto had nothing to say to that. “I know you’re in love with me.” Prompto had nothing to say to that, either. His breath hitched and he went to move, but Noctis kept him in place. “I don’t care. I mean, I_ do, _but it’s… you get it.” Prompto nodded. “Good. Never been one for actually using my words.”_

_Prompto laughed softly and he nodded. “Not since we were kids.”_

_They sat there for not even the Gods know how long, Prompto occasionally crying and Noctis petting down his hair the whole way through. Eventually, Noctis stood, pulling Prompto up with him. “It’s time. I’ll see you soon.” Prompto panicked, then threw his arms around Noctis. He got a minute of holding him before he started to turn into mist. “Oh… and Prompto?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_Noctis smiled sadly. “I love you, man.”_

_Prompto smiled back._

**_“I know.”_ **


End file.
